Help Remains for West Virginia Flood Survivors

Targeted News Service (Press Releases)

CHARLESTON, W.Va., Sept. 29 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency issued the following news release:

Help is still available for survivors of West Virginia's severe storms, flooding, landslides and mudslides of July 28-29, 2017.

Call the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362 for information about many federal disaster assistance-related matters. Lines are open 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week. Survivors who have a speech disability or hearing loss and use TTY should call 800-462-7585. For those who use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 800-621-3362.

Here are ways the helpline can support your disaster recovery:

* Register for federal disaster assistance. FEMA allows one registration per household. Households should register only once.

* Inquire about the status of your registration.

* Update contact and insurance information to avoid disaster assistance processing delays.

* Get instructions about how to appeal your FEMA decision letter.

* Referrals for other disaster recovery resources.

Have your nine-digit FEMA registration number available if you want to discuss your application.

Survivors can also get help by going online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or downloading the FEMA mobile app.

Stress and anxiety are common reactions after a disaster. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) can help survivors in need of support due to emotional distress related to disasters. SAMHSA's Disaster Distress Helpline 800-985-5990 provides 24/7, 365-day-a-year crisis counseling.

Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-FEMA (3362). For TTY call 800-462-7585.

FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards. Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/femaregion3 and the FEMA Blog at http://blog.fema.gov.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is the federal government's primary source of money for the long-term rebuilding of disaster-damaged private property. SBA helps homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes, and private non-profit organizations fund repairs or rebuilding efforts and cover the cost of replacing lost or disaster-damaged personal property. These disaster loans cover losses not fully compensated by insurance or other recoveries and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations. For more information, applicants may contact SBA's Disaster Assistance Customer Service Center by calling (800) 659-2955, emailing disastercustomerservice@sba.gov, or visiting SBA's Web site at www.sba.gov/disaster. Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals may call (800) 877-8339.